He Cried
by increak96
Summary: That night in the rain, staring at her blood splattered over the walls... it was horrific. Why did you have to die, Nina? What happened after Edward left that alley. Parental!RoyEd


**A\N: Augh this is... it's just... CRUD. GARBAGE. JUNK. TRASH. I posted it on dA and someone pointed out that I didn't have is posted on this site as well, and you people seem to like it but... I'm just ashamed. Of course, I'm ashamed of all of my writing so... that makes sense. :D**

**I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I hope you enjoy this!  
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><p>Edward was still standing at the wall splattered with Nina's blood. He was still staring at his dirty shoes. He was still feeling tears trying to leave his eyes, and he was still trying to convince himself it was the incessant rain sticking to his eyelashes.<br>"Brother…" Alphonse's hand fell gently on his shoulder. "Brother, the Lieutenant Colonel…."  
>Edward turned to see Roy standing halfway down the alley. So nonchalant with his hand shoved into his pocket. So… uncaring.<br>"It's a wasted effort."  
>The truth in the words stung, even if Edward denied them, and he whirled on Roy, about to speak. Then he saw the Colonel had more to say.<br>"It is not possible to reconstruct a living creature once its life has been lost. Not for any alchemist."  
>Edward gritted his teeth, desperately wanting to tell the Colonel to shut up, but knowing that was a stupid mistake. Was Edward really prepared for one of Roy's stupid lectures?<br>"Who is it going to please to bring an abortive Chimera back to life?"  
>Edward stopped, his eyes wide.<br>"There will be even more suffering and anguish than this waiting for you further down the road you have chosen. As such, you must keep moving forward, even if you have to force yourself to accept this."  
>"Accept this, you say?" Edward shouted. Roy reached his hand out swiftly, and Edward reached up to cover his face, thinking the Colonel was going to hit him. But Roy only grasped Edward's wrist, pulling it towards himself and forcing Edward to look him in the eye.<br>"There is some purpose you are trying to accomplish, right? Do you have time to just stand still?"  
>The way Roy said it was almost calm and angry combined. It was passionate, but he meant only for Edward and Alphonse to hear it.<br>Edward knew he was right. He knew it. But that didn't mean he had to admit it.  
>Roy stepped away, and then turned slightly as he heard a voice call out, "Here?"<br>"From here on, this is a job for the Investigations Department. Stand aside."  
>Edward took just a few seconds to glare. He wanted to tell Roy to butt out and say heck on the Investigations Department. But he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, and there was no way in all heck he was going to let Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang see him cry. No. Way.<br>So he ducked his head and ran out of the ally, passing Hughes and some other military dogs as he went. He ran until he got to the sidewalk on the other side, and then he slowly stopped. Alphonse stopped behind him. He looked down, thankful his bangs were covering his eyes. The rain fell to the ground around him. His clothing was soaked with water and blood. There was a painful moment of silence as his throat and chest tightened, and then the tears came. Standing there in the rain, police cars around him, and brother helplessly watching on… Edward Elric cried.

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><p>Roy nodded tiredly as the men investigating the scene tried for the thousandth time to link the serial killer and the exploded Chimera together. He also watched as they failed miserably and came to a standstill.<br>Hughes leaned over to him and cupped one hand around his mouth. "What do you say we leave this to the underlings and split for the night? If you ask me, the murders are completely separate, and I've tried to tell them, but they're confident they're right."  
>Roy nodded. "I agree. You have a slicer and a bomber. Two different styles going on here, and with so many murders under one style, you can bet he's not magically changing to another. Psychopaths don't change their ways."<br>Hughes nodded back. "Right." Then he looked around. "So, where's Ed?"  
>Roy shrugged. "I told him to leave this to us, and he ran out."<br>"I know. I saw him leave. But where is he now?"  
>Roy shrugged again, shoving his hands into his pockets to protect his gloves from the rain. "Wherever he's been staying, I guess."<br>"Uh, Roy?"  
>Roy glanced at him. "Yeah?"<br>"Edward's been staying with Tucker."  
>Roy could've slapped himself at that moment. Rather than look like a complete idiot, he went for partial idiot and did a facepalm.<br>Hughes chuckled. "So, where is he now?"  
>"I don't know, but I better find him." Roy cursed. "Stupid, emotionally messed up, hormone-inundated, incredibly short, alchemist boy."<br>Roy jumped into the car he and Riza had arrived in, not bothering to wait for someone to drive him, and started down the road away from Tucker's house. The chances of Edward going there for solace were pretty slim, and he probably didn't decide to scale a wall while bawling his eyes out.  
>Oh, yes. Roy knew Edward was crying. The boy thought he had everybody fooled with his tough façade, but Roy was just a little bit smarter than that. Besides, to not cry under circumstances like that, one had to have no soul.<br>_Heh… good thing I'm soulless._  
>Then another thought hit Roy.<br>_Add to that his recent pass-out episode, there's really something wrong with him lately. There!  
><em>Roy pulled up alongside the two boys and rolled the window down.  
>"Ed, Al, get in. I'll get you set up in the nearest hotel until you can find another Alchemist to study for."<br>Edward stiffened, clenching his fists. "No."  
>Roy was not really shocked by the response, however, it did irritate him. "You don't have a choice, Edward."<br>"We'll find our own place."  
>"No, you'll get in the car."<br>Alphonse slowly stopped walking. "Brother… we do need a place to stay."  
>"Yeah." Edward suddenly whirled around, pointing an accusing finger at Roy. "But we don't need to get it from <em>him<em>!"  
>Roy smirked, stepping out of the car and starting towards Edward, who started walking again.<br>"Brother, what's wrong with the Lieutenant Colonel?"  
>Roy answered the question for him. "I said something that he didn't like, and now he's throwing a tantrum."<br>Edward whirled again. "Shut up! Just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! You don't have emotions like the rest of us! You're just cold, and heartless, and you have no soul you filthy son of a dog! I won't forget Nina! I won't! And you can't make me walk on if I don't want to! I'm not ready for it!" Edward turned on his heel and ran away, disappearing into the black night.  
>"Brother!"<br>Roy snagged Alphonse's arm, shaking his head. "You get in the car. I'll go after him. If you stay in the rain like this you'll rust, and we can't have that."  
>Roy started down the street, taking a soft, leisurely pace. About a block away, he came to a stop and looked down a long alley to see Edward at the end.<br>He kept cursing and saying 'I couldn't save her' over and over again, like he didn't understand why. He pounded both fists into the wall and then kicked.  
>"I couldn't save her! Why couldn't I save her?"<br>Roy walked closer to Edward. "That's a stupid question. You couldn't save her because you're not powerful enough."  
>Edward whirled on him. "I—I—" Then he stopped. The look on his face said, 'I have no comeback… now what?'<br>"You?" Roy pressed, now standing right in front of the frantic blonde. "You what?"  
>"I… don't… know…." Water splashed up as Edward's knees hit a puddle. "I don't know!" He slammed his hands on the ground. "I don't know anything! The only thing I've managed to figure out is that I can't figure anything out!"<br>And then it happened. Something Roy had never seen, knew happened, but could never imagine in his whole life had he not been there at that very moment.  
>Edward started sobbing.<br>Roy crouched down, silently removing his jacket and wrapping it around Edward's shoulders. Edward grabbed the jackets, clutching it tightly and crying harder.  
>Roy took a deep breath. "Ed… When somebody who is very close to us dies, we always ask ourselves two questions. 'Why?' and 'Could I have stopped this?' Right now, your mind is just about to blow up with questions, but the root of them all, are those two I just listed. Am I right?"<br>Ed lifted his gaze slowly, glistening, golden orbs meeting steel gray ones as he nodded.  
>"If you had been able to get to the scene fast enough, you could have saved her. If you had figured out Tucker's plan ahead of time you could have saved her. But even though you weren't there, why? Why would this happen? There all questions we ask. I… I asked a few myself. Like, 'Roy, why didn't you take that paperwork over to Tucker's house? You would've arrived and known something wasn't right.' Or, 'Roy, what if you had sent Lieutenant Hawkeye over to check on him? You knew the stress was going to his head.' And then I find myself saying, 'why? Why an innocent little girl, and not a maniac like Tucker. Why did this killer go for someone who was already a victim?"<br>Edward let out another choked sob, slamming his hands over his eye and letting his gloves soak up the tears.  
>"It's something everybody goes through. It human nature. It's life. It's death. It's reality." Roy sighed heavily. "But I can't dwell on those thoughts. Why? Because Nina is dead, and there are other people whom it is my responsibility to protect." Roy pulled Edward's hands away from his face. "Like you. Like Alphonse. Like Hughes, and Hawkeye, and Havoc, and Fuery."<br>Edward sniffed, trying not to make a total mess of himself. Roy pulled Edward off of the ground and took his arm, starting back towards the car.  
>"Come on, let's get you dry. You're a bloody mess."<br>They got back to the car, and Edward got in the back with Alphonse while Roy got up front and started driving.  
>Alphonse gently placed a hand on his brother's thigh. "Brother… Are you crying?"<br>Edward threw his hands up. "Yes! Yes, here it is! Edward Elric is crying! For the second time to night, please enjoy the show and save snide remarks to the end of the tour!"  
>Roy smirked. "Don't kid yourself."<br>Edward looked at the rearview mirror, a puzzled expression on his face. "What?"  
>"You're trying to be one of the alpha males who can kick your butt any day of the week and still get sensitive when they need to. We all know that was just the rain." Roy grinned at him.<br>Edward smiled weakly back at him. "Yeah, you're right. Just the rain." He leaned back in his seat, staring out the window. Roy nodded to himself and turned into the hotel parking lot.  
>The three alchemists entered the building, and Roy went straight to the front desk while Alphonse watched the fish tank and Edward pretended to be interested.<br>"I need a room for two, one night." He handed the man his card and tapped his fingers on the desk, waiting for the transaction to be made.  
>He looked over at Edward, who was still fighting to keep himself steady. Alphonse was laughing and smiling—if a suit of armor smiles, that is—but it was obviously an act to try and cheer his brother up. If the boy had tear ducts, his eyes would have been welling, instead, he was stuck just feeling a dull pain unlike any Roy could imagine, as he knew what pain felt like when one had a body, not when one was just a spirit.<br>"Actually, I'm sorry, I messed up." Roy slightly hesitated, trying to talk himself out of it. "I meant to say, room for three, one night."  
>The man nodded and quickly made the change. He handed Roy his card, and Roy thanked him, waving the boys along.<br>They got up to the room, and Edward went straight for the shower, not saying a word to anyone. Roy smiled comfortingly at Alphonse.  
>"Give him time," he said, slipping silently into the bathroom and grabbing a towel.<br>"HEY! GET OUT OF HERE! I'M NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES!"  
>Roy chuckled, exiting the bathroom and starting to dry Alphonse off. Once he was satisfied the boy wouldn't rust, he told him to take of his loincloth and go to bed. Alphonse did as he was told, and soon he was lying on the bed fast asleep.<br>Edward was still taking a shower, and this left Roy some time to take in the situation. Unfortunately, the room was big enough for three people… but only had two beds, one of which Alphonse took up all by himself. This left Roy and Edward to share a bed, and Roy wasn't so sure Edward would be keen about that.  
>Muttering something about, 'stupid shorties' and 'the things I put up with until I become Furher and hand out the miniskirts,' he walked over to a closet and pulled out some spare blankets, throwing them over the recliner and then stripping off his wet uniform. He grabbed the phone and dialed Hughes, telling him he found the boys and they were staying at a hotel. When questioned about why he was staying, too, he simply said, "Well <em>somebody<em> has to keep an eye on these idiots, and it sure won't be Tucker any time soon."  
>"Very true," Hughes said.<br>"Al, Ed, and I are all soaked. Have somebody bring over dry clothing as soon as possible."  
>"Sure thing, Roy." Then Hughes lowered his voice, whispering in a taunting tone Roy had come to hate. "If you get a wife, she could do things like this for you."<br>Roy slammed the phone down on the receiver. Alphonse jerked in his sleep, but just rolled over and passed out again. Not knowing what else to do, Roy settled down in the chair, trying to relax as he thought about what Edward was going to say now that Alphonse wouldn't hear.  
>Would Roy be in for an hour of annoying complaints? Would Roy have to be the 'dad' of the situation again and get all emotional? Was Edward going to let it drop? Ha. Not likely.<br>Finally, his waiting was over. Edward came out of the bathroom, hair dripping wet and a towel wrapped around his waist.  
>"Ah!" He jumped, pointing at Roy. "What are you still doing here? And why are you naked?"<br>Roy smirked. "I can't leave the two of you alone in a shabby hotel. It would make me look bad. And my clothes are all wet, so I have to let them dry."  
>"Well—well, wrap something around yourself!"<br>Roy laughed, throwing his head back. "You're so jealous of me, it's not even funny."  
>"I am not! I just—"<br>There was a knock at the door, and Roy held out his hand for the towel.  
>"No way!"<br>"I used the other one on Al, and I'm not wrapping that around my waist. I have to be the one to answer the door because I made the phone call. Hand it over."  
>Edward muttered something under his breath and handed over the towel. Roy swiftly wrapped it around his waist and opened the door, getting the clothes and tossing Edward a pair of boxers and jeans before digging out his own clothes.<br>Edward reached down, pulling the underwear and pants on. Roy turned the other way, but he could still feel the child's gaze on his back.  
>"Lieutenant Colonel Mustang…."<br>"Mm-hmm." Roy pulled on briefs and pants of his own and sat down on the chair, pulling the blankets over himself.  
>Edward crawled into bed and lay down, facing away from Roy. "Is… Is there ever an answer to the why question?" Edward's voice was soft and shy, something that was starting to freak Roy out.<br>After a moment of pure bewilderment, he finally said, "No, Ed. I don't think there is. It's just something you have to life with. I mean, you're mother died nearly two years ago, right? Aren't you still asking why?"  
>Edward's breath hitched, and Roy realized he'd hit close to home. Edward answered anyways.<br>"Yeah."  
>There was a silence, and then Roy said, "The day you passed out at the murder scene… what was it that scared you so badly?"<br>Edward took a shaky breath. "I… She looked like my mother."  
>Roy couldn't help the quirk. "Ah, so that's where you get your looks."<br>Edward stiffened, and then he chuckled softly. "Yeah."  
>"Continue."<br>"Not only did she remind me of my mom by what I imagined she looked like when she was still in one piece but… her body… the twisted form it looked…." Edward stopped, taking a deep breath. "The night we did it, something went wrong. It wasn't the formula, it was us. It was our intentions, and it was the knowledge we lacked. Or, I guess, the truth."  
>Roy raised his eyebrows. What Ed was saying didn't make any sense.<br>"The point is… we brought her back… but when she came back she… she was… this… this twisted creature with… blazing eyes and…."  
>Roy jumped as Edward flew out of bed and ran for the bathroom, holding his mouth. Getting up quickly, he followed Edward, not at all shocked to find him clutching white porcelain with his face stuck in the toilet.<br>Roy knelt down behind him, stroking his hair and pulling his bangs and braid away from his mouth. He patted his back gently and continued to stroke Edward's locks. Finally, the horrible retching stopped, and Edward pull his head up, gasping for air.  
>Roy stood up and got him a glass of water from the sink.<br>"Wash it out."  
>Edward took the glass and swished the liquid all around before spitting it into the toilet with everything else that had left his mouth. Roy pushed the handle and pulled Edward off of the ground. Without letting Edward protest, he picked him up bridal style and carried him to the bed, lying him down and tucking him in.<br>"Tell me another time. It was rather boring, and I'd like to get some sleep." He yawned, turning off the lights and sitting back down in his chair.  
>"Thanks."<br>Roy smiled when he heard the quiet, reluctant word come from Edward's mouth. "You're worth it, Fullmetal."  
>Roy's eyes gently closed, and he heard a soft sniffling sound. And for the third time that night, Edward cried.<p>

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><p><strong>A\N: Like I said. JUNK. If your mind didn't blow up and your eyes didn't melt, please review! Lol.<br>**


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